IMAGES Tommaso Sartori
Planning on updating your kitchen this year? Take note of these five trends before you get started.
1. Wood for the Win
Wood’s ability to bring integrity and warmth into any space will never grow old. But contrary to what you might believe about the staying power of wood in hard working areas such as the kitchen or bathroom, it’s making an appearance in countertops and cabinetry. Thanks to recent technological advancements and innovative materials, you can safely include wood in the kitchen and bathroom with very little maintenance. Try pairing it with refined surfaces such as metal or polished stone for a little drama.
2. Compact Kitchens
Modern living has come at a price, and often, enjoying an urban lifestyle means having to maximise on very small spaces. When every square inch matters, you really don’t have to forgo style, since there are a host of high-end and beautiful kitchen units that perform a handful of functions in one consolidated module – that’s storage, worktop, hob and mini-fridge all in one, and often on wheels!
3. Al Fresco Cooking
You’ve heard of eating al fresco, but cooking in the open air is becoming possible as a number of brands are launching modular, customisable kitchen units built for outdoor use. With the impressive durability of materials such as stainless steel, cooking outdoors has surpassed the basic braai. We’re talking about fully equipped, plumbed and gassed kitchens on your patio.
4. Garden Inspiration
As a continuation of our love of industrial fittings and finishes, we look to the outdoors to inspire our kitchen aesthetics, and the garden offers a world of cues. Utilitarian levers take the place of traditional taps, and sinks nod to galvanised tubs in materials like folded stainless steel with a highly durable PVD coating.
5. Hidden Kitchens
No matter the size, there’s an aspect to our cooking spaces we don’t always want to see and this is where smart cabinetry is coming to the fore, as exhibited by Boffi’s Hide Kitchen range of modular and completely customisable cabinetry. Nearly your entire kitchen can be hidden behind doors that slide, stack or disappear into a recess, revealing the inner workings of your kitchen as needed, and no sooner, making them disappear. Think sleek floor-to-ceiling modules that house everything from the sink, drawers and machinery to work surfaces within their organised confines.
View more innovative kitchen designs at boffi.com.
